


Strength

by Dragongoddess13



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Family Feels, Family Secrets, Kidnapping, Vague descriptions of violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-21
Updated: 2015-01-21
Packaged: 2018-03-08 13:08:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3210305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragongoddess13/pseuds/Dragongoddess13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kidnapping had never been on Darcy's list of fears, she just wasn't important enough to have to worry about that. Looking back, she probably should have rethought that belief after the New Mexico.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strength

**Author's Note:**

> This is just some random idea that popped into my head awhile ago and I'm just now getting around to finishing it. I'm currently working on another story with a Darcyland Pairing that is in this continuation/story line.

Strength

xXx

Kidnapping had never been on Darcy's list of fears, she just wasn't important enough to have to worry about that. Looking back, she probably should have rethought that belief after the New Mexico.

When Hydra took her it was fair to say she was caught off guard. They'd managed to pull her off the street in New York on her way to the tower one morning. A bag was thrown over her head and her hands were bound. The next thing she knew she was strapped to a table in a dark, dungeon like room with a creepy old man standing over her. 

When he opened his mouth an accent she couldn't place spilled out with his words. He told her his name, but she didn't really care to remember it, panic setting in as she caught glimpses of the equipment and tools around her. He told her he just needed her to answer some questions and that it was best for her if she cooperated. 

The problem was, she couldn't actually answer his questions, she wasn't privy to the information he wanted and what really scared her was when she noticed the moment he realized she was telling the truth and he decided to hurt her anyway.

She's not sure how much time went by before she passed out from the pain, but when she finally roused from the darkness Tony Stark was standing above her, his face plate up and a worried look on his face. He smiled at her as he noticed her eyes open. 

"Hey kid, you had us worried there for a second." Dr. Banner's face appears next. 

"Darcy, can you tell me if your numb anywhere?" She shook her head 'no'. "Good, okay, we're gonna get you out of here, then."

"You're safe now." Tony added, before the room started to move. She absently realized she was on a stretcher now and they were wheeling her out, before the darkness faded in again.

The next time she woke up she was in a hospital room. Clint was on one side of her bed, Jane and Thor on the other. She looked up when she heard the door open. "Hey, how are you feeling?" Bruce whispered, moving quietly to stand beside her. 

"My skin itches." She mumbled tiredly. Bruce looked like he was in pain.

"Try not to scratch; those are the stitches that itch. We did what we could and it looks like there won't be too many scars." She hummed her understanding. He hesitated before continuing. 

"So, Agent Coulson is outside. He wants to ask you a few questions if you think you can handle it right now." She nodded slowly, but confused. She watched as Bruce left the way he came in and a few seconds later she watched Coulson emerged.

"Am I dead?" She asked quietly. Coulson's soft smile was almost heart breaking.

"No Miss Lewis. Director Fury needed people to believe I was dead." She ohed silently. "Now, I have a few questions, do you think you can answer them?" She nodded. "Did they tell you why they took you?"

"They needed answers." 

"What kind of answers?" Coulson's voice is soft and Darcy wants to cry because she knows he's worried about her, she can see it in the lines on his face and concern layered in his voice. 

"Stuff about Jane's machines, equations Bruce is working on, and the key code for Tony's lab."

"Did you give them any of that?" She shook her head slowly. "Why?" It could have been her imagination, but she could have sworn he sounded upset maybe because he thought she would keep all of that to herself. 

"I don't know any of that stuff. Jane makes her own equipment, Bruce keeps his equations secret for obvious reasons and I don't have an access code for Tony's lab. Jarvis just lets me in when I have to go in there." It was the minutest of movements as he deflated with relief. "I don't know anything." Her voice was small as she sunk into the bed. "I'm just an intern." 

Coulson reached out and squeezed her hand. "Get some rest, Darcy." 

xXx

She spent another week in the hospital before being discharged. She was getting ready to head back to her Williamsburg apartment when Tony appeared and informed her that her apartment had been packed up and everything moved to a suite upstairs in the residence levels. She almost cried, just because she knew it would make Tony uncomfortable, but she resisted the urge and thanked him accordingly. 

Darcy discovered that she was capable of putting everything behind her. As long as she avoided looking at her reflection when her shirt was off and she cut back on the number of hours she slept, she would do just fine. That is until Captain America returned with his old BFF, his new BFF and his gal pal, Black Widow, in tow. 

She avoided them all like she avoided sleep. Work keeping her in the labs. Or she waited until everyone was in bed or off where ever for the night to move around. 

She wasn't afraid of Bucky, she knew he wasn't Hydra anymore, she knew he was safe enough; otherwise they wouldn't let him walk around by himself. She was, however, afraid of what might happen if he ever got to know her. Nothing bothered her more than having to lie to him and knowing that by now he probably knew what had happened to her, she was afraid of how angry he would get, how... Unhinged he could become. 

Because to Bucky, she was more than just another intern; even if he didn’t know it yet.

xXx

"She's not afraid of you." Clint told Bucky matter of fact. Bucky looked away from where 'she' had thought she was sneaking away without anyone noticing.

"She has a hell of a way to prove that." He turned back to his lunch as Clint sighed. 

"It's not you, it's her. She avoids Steve, Nat and Sam too. The only reason she doesn't avoid the rest of us is because she works with three of them and Me and Coulson might actually try to help her."

"She doesn't want help?" Clint shook his head. "What happened?" Clint seemed hesitant to answer but after a minute he finally replied.

"About a month before you guys got here Hydra took her off the street. They figured out that she was the head assistant between Stark, Foster and Banner and intended to get some information from her on them. Problem was she didn't have any. She's not trained in science or engineering so she really doesn't know what going on. Her job is to make sure they don't hurt themselves or other people; she’s basically a manager." Clint paused taking a drink and collecting his thoughts. "When they figured out that she was useless to them, the leader he... He used an assortment of knives to dig into her skin, stab her real slow." Bucky interrupted.

"He never hit anything major, he wanted it to last." 

"Yea, you knew him."

"Goddrick Granger. Sick fuck."

"Mmm, well, he's dead now. So no worries." 

"Arrow?"

"Right through the eye." They clinked their glasses. 

"How’s she doin' otherwise?" Clint shrugged. 

"She's not sleeping, too many nightmares, she wears more layers than she used to, like armored padding or something. She doesn't smile as much and I don't think she's eating as much as she should. And then there are the panic attacks.”

"How bad?"

"She'll find a corner away from prying eyes and back herself into it. She'll then hyperventilate until she's close to passing out."

"You don't help her?" Clint sighed.

"I tried once; it just got worse when I moved toward her."

xXx

Darcy’s next panic attack kind of snuck up on her. The blood rushing in her ears as her chest restricted was different than all the other times. She made an excuse to leave the lab and headed for the stairwell, where she usually hid out until it passed. 

She shouldered her way through the door, running head long into the one person she wanted to keep her distance from most. 

Bucky took one look at her and pulled her close, closing the door behind them and moving them toward the far corner of the landing. He put his back to the corner and her back to his chest as he slid down to sit with her in his lap. 

"Try to match her breathing to mine." He told her softly. She struggled for a moment but then her breaths began to slow and calm, soon returning to normal. She began shaking and it wasn't long before Bucky realized she was crying. He shifted her in his lap so she was resting sideways and held her until the sobs bled into hiccupping gasps. 

It wasn't until she looked up at him that it suddenly dawned on him that he had been whispering comfort to her the entire time. The look in her eyes startled him a bit.

"You're really not afraid of me are you?"

"Why would I be?" Her voice was hoarse from her sobs.

"I've killed people." 

"Are you going to kill me?"

"No."

"Then why should I be scared?" He stared down at her and for the first time he really got a good look at her. Long brown hair and bright blue eyes; hers was a face straight out of his past. Bucky forced himself to look away or else be forced into a flashback. "Are you okay?" 

"Yea, doll, just... You remind me of someone I used to know." Her eyes widened a fraction before returning to normal and Bucky would have said something if Steve hadn't chosen that moment to burst through the door.

"Are you guys alright?" He asked frantically, watching as Darcy scrambled out of Bucky's lap.

"We're fine, punk." Bucky pulled himself up once Darcy was on her feet. 

"I should get back to work, thanks for your help." She told him before edging around Steve and slipping back out onto the main floor.

"What was that about? Jarvis said there was a problem."

"She was having a panic attack." He paused a thought striking him. "Did you get a good look at her?" Steve shrugged.

"Kinda, not really. Why?" Bucky shook his head, starring out where she disappeared. 

"She just... Reminded me of someone." 

xXx

The first time Steve got a really good look at Darcy was in the gym a few weeks later. She was alone angrily going to town on a punching bag. Bucky walked in behind him, stopping at his side. 

"She could be your daughter." Steve murmured so only Bucky could hear him. They watched her, sweating and panting as she took her frustrations out on the bag. 

Without much thought Bucky walked over to her, standing on the other side of the bag to keep it from swinging. She didn't even slow down, if anything she got more vicious punching away until she had no other choice but to stop.

"You good?" Bucky asked. She punched the bag one more time. 

"Yep." Bucky chuckled. 

"You ever learn how to throw a punch sweetheart, cause that was terrible." She huffed, trying to catch her breath.

"Well excuse the hell outta me, Mr. Super soldier. All I used to need was my trusty Taser and my razor sharp wit to protect myself." 

"Aren't Taser guns illegal in New York?" Steve questioned. 

"Now you see my dilemma." 

"Well then," Bucky began. "We'll just have to fix that." Darcy looked shocked. 

"What?"

"I'll train you. You won't be an expert like Nat or Stevie here, but you'll be able to defend yourself and that fact alone could ease the panic attacks."

"Really?" She sounded hopeful, but then she shook her head as of to rid herself of that. "Don't you have better things to do? I mean... More important... Things." Bucky's scowl seemed to interrupt her train of thought. 

"It'll be good for both of us doll." He told her. "A good distraction for me and an even better one for you." She looked like she was about to protest but he didn't give her the chance. "We'll start in the morning, ten AM. Don't be late." 

xXx

Darcy entered the gym to find Bucky pounding away on the treadmill. He caught her eye as she entered, waving to let her know he'd be right with her. She shuffled over to the benches, dropping her bag and water bottle next to his.  Within a few minutes, Bucky appeared in front of her with a smile, dropping his iPod next to his own bag. 

"You ready?" He asked. Darcy nodded, standing hesitantly. "Are you nervous?" He asked her concerned. She shrugged.

"A little. I'm not very graceful, or coordinated, or healthy for that matter." Bucky chuckled. 

"Well, we'll work on that too if you want." He led her out onto the mats. "Ok, we'll start with the basics." He moved behind her and positioned her into a wide stance. "No matter what happens, no matter how well you learn to defend yourself, if you can run, if you can get away, do it. Don't try to fight if you don't have to. Okay?" She nodded.

"Good, now in the event you have to fight go for soft spots. Eyes, ears, nose. Stay away from the mouth. Kicking a guy in the nuts is a good way to incapacitate him quickly, but it's also a great way to piss him off. So part of what I want to teach you involves getting you in shape to run long distance if you have to." 

Darcy cringed and he laughed at it. "I know it sounds daunting, but I promise we'll start slow." She relaxed a bit. "I'm gonna walk you through this slowly ok?" She nodded. 

For the next hour, Bucky walked her through different techniques for defending herself. After that he set out a plan for continuing her training. 

Because of The scientist three's late nights, Darcy went into work late in the morning, so on the weekdays they would start running in the mornings. They would meet in the lobby and start out slow, pushing every time she got comfortable. Then, they would go to the gym and work on self-defense for a little while before she had to start getting ready for work. On weekends they would follow the same routine, but they had the option of working longer and trying different things to help her. 

And so went the last of the summer months. Darcy got up early every morning, worked out with Bucky and returned to her apartment to shower and dress for work and grab a healthy breakfast. Sometimes if Jane was out of town or Tony and Bruce didn't need her, she would work out by herself in the evenings, enjoying a little quiet time as her feet pounded the treadmill. 

Bucky had been right of course, as time passed the panic attacks lessened to the point where it took quite a bit of effort to set her off. Bucky and everyone else seemed proud of how far she'd come in such a short time, and while she too was proud of herself, there was still a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she was doing something wrong. 

xXx

"What's wrong?" Steve questioned as he entered the communal kitchen to find Bucky pouting over his lunch. "Training with Darcy not go so well?"

"It was fine. She's doing really well." He replied absently. Steve turned from where he was digging luncheon meat from the crisper. Sam walked in as he asked “So what’s wrong?” He looked between the two old friends and Bucky sighed, sensing the double team coming. "I know realistically that Darcy doesn't have to tell me anything she doesn't want to, but I can't shake the feeling she's keeping something from me." 

"Like what?" Steve started assembling his lunch. 

"If I knew that would I be sitting here puzzling it over, punk?" 

"Good point." Sam chuckled.

"Have you asked her about it?" 

"No, I mean if she wanted me to know she would tell me, right? It just bugs me is all." Sam shook his head with a smile. 

"I swear you two are like socially stunted. Just ask her." 

xXx

The next morning Darcy walked into the gym to find Bucky waiting for her. “Good morning.” She greeted.

“Morning.” He replied a bit distracted.

“Are you okay?” she asked him dropping her bag with his as she did every morning. He sighed, standing up.

“Look, I’m just gonna cut to the chase, kid. I think you’re hiding something from me and while I think you’re entitled to your privacy, I really wish you believed you could confide in me. I mean, we’ve become friends right? I wasn’t imagining that?” Darcy starred up at him, a fierce internal debate going on in her head.

“Would you like to come over for dinner tonight?”

xXx

“She didn’t say anything else?” Steve questioned leaning on the door frame of Bucky’s room.

“Nope, she just asked me if I wanted to come over for dinner, then we went about our work out.”

“And you just said yes, without any explanation?”

“That about sums it up.” Bucky adjusted the button up dress shirt on his shoulders, and then rolled up the sleeves to the elbow.

“What do you think she’s going to tell you?” Bucky shrugged.

“I really have no idea.” He turned to Steve, running a hand through his hair, a nervous habit he’d picked up since coming back to himself.

“I sure whatever it is it’ll be fine.” Steve told him. “Darcy’s your friend; she respects you and cares about you. I don’t think she would keep a secret that could hurt you.”

“Unless she was afraid of hurting me, and that’s why she kept it a secret.”

Steve didn’t really have an answer for him, so with that Bucky headed out the door, taking the elevator up to Darcy’s floor. He could hear laughter on the other side of her door and for a second he hesitated to knock, but knowing full well what needed to be done he forged on. Darcy answered the door with a bright smile and Bucky was struck again by the face from his past.

“Bucky, you’re just in time. There’s someone I want you to meet, or rather, meet again.” He looked suspicious but he followed her into the main part of the apartment anyway. “I’d like to reintroduce you to my grandmother.” She told him, taking him by the hand and gesturing to the living room sofa where a sweet looking older woman sat. Her hair was short and silver and her kind blue eyes smiled up at him like they had the day he left for Europe.

“Rebecca?” he asked softly. She nodded, standing up.

“Hello big brother.” She greeted with a teary smile. Bucky didn’t really remember moving, but he suddenly found himself in front of her, pulling her into his arms and holding on like his life depended on it. In some ways it did. She still smelled the same, like lilac, and he inhaled as much of it as he could, holding her as close as possible.

When he finally pulled away, he found Darcy watching them, tears running down her cheeks. “Hey, don’t do that.” He chuckled, opening his arms to her. She walked into them with a laugh, holding on as he had her grandmother.

“Oh,” Darcy exclaimed, pulling free. “We should call Steve up.”

 _“Allow me.”_ Jarvis interjected. _“Captain Roger’s is on his way.”_

Steve was let in by Jarvis, before he had the chance to knock. As he walked in, he stopped in his tracks at the scene before him. Two Generations of Barnes’ sitting around the living room.

“Becca?” he asked and she nodded. He looked between all of them stunned.

“Well, are you going to give you surrogate little sister a hug or just stand there looking gob smacked?” he laughed, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.

While they were distracted, Darcy got Bucky’s attention and took him into the kitchen. “So this is your big secret?” she nodded. “Why were you so worried about telling me this?” she shrugged.

“I wasn’t sure if you were ready. Plus, I wasn’t so sure how you would handle the whole kidnapping thing. I didn’t want to set you off.” She watched as his shoulders tensed.

“Fuck.” He breathed. “I was pissed off before, but now…”

“Yea, well keep that to yourself. I haven’t told anyone.”

“What do you mean, you didn’t tell anyone?” she shrugged.

“I didn’t want them to get freaked out. My mom isn’t really a big fan of my choice to stick around the Avengers.” Bucky sighed.

“Alright, I’ll let Steve know to keep it quiet.” She physically deflated with relief.

“Thank you so much.” She told him, just as the timer on the oven went off. “Are you ready for this?” she asked, turning for the oven. “My very first attempt at Nana Barnes’ Homemade Lasagna, all by myself since she taught me how to make it when I was six.” She pulled the glass dish out of the oven and Bucky took a big whiff.

“My mother taught you how to cook?” Darcy nodded.

“Yes she did. I used to love going to Nana’s house for Sunday dinner every week. She’d teach me all her best recipes when we got home from Sunday morning mass.” Darcy explained, as she took the dish out to the dining room table where they found Steve and Rebecca.

“And we still have Sunday dinners, of which both of you are invited.” Rebecca explained. They smiled at her.

“There’s no place we’d rather be.” Bucky replied. Steve couldn’t agree more.

 


End file.
